News reporters at the frontline

As the Kenyan military offensive against the Al-Shabaab militia in Somalia continues, a team from Nation Media Group has been accompanying Kenya Defence Forces.

Drawn from both the print and broadcast divisions, the team is in the southern sector where the Kenya and Somali borders meet by the Indian Ocean.

The team is operating under guidelines normal for such missions.

Darkness shock: East African standard time does no apply here

Ideally, the tip of Kenya, that southern-most place right next to Somalia, is in the same time zone as the rest of the country, and even Kampala in Uganda.

But the reality on the ground is a bit different because it gets dark by 6.10pm, and the sun rises very early, meaning that by 5.30am, the rays shining through the windows have us awake.

Start work early
The best thing about this is that one gets to start work early, and given that there are no matatus and the attendant noise, rude touts and no traffic jams, it is easy to get things going.

Although our colleagues imagined that we were going into a war zone, it is rather quiet at the military camp at Ishakani.

So secure is it that one colleague has suggested it is safer than some streets in Nairobi, and we can’t begin to talk about some of the capital city’s estates.

Just to prove that, we left the doors open on the first night, and not even the dogs wandered in.

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Language: ‘Ras’ in Ras Kamboni lacks Rastafarian roots

Ras Kamboni, Ras Aliyoos and the other Ras in Somali had nothing to do with the Rastafarian. Instead they mean a protruding gulf.

Buur on the other hand means a hill. Buur Gabo means a small hill. Buur Gaal is the hill of the white men, a name derived from the fact that initially it was inhabited by Italians.

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Passwords: Forget the camp secret code and get shot

Those that might have gone camping as scouts will recall that every camp has a password, a secret code word called out as a challenge in case one has strayed away and wishes to get back in.

Forgetting it means you could be mistaken for the enemy and get shot, so remember that a password a day keeps the enemy away.